Research carried out by Groundsure found that Dartford was the second worst council for this. The council has been approached for comment.

Research carried out by an environmental land risk authority has found that Dartford is among the top 10 worst councils for approving housing developments on flood plains.

The research, carried out by Groundsure, analysed new build properties across the country, specifically the proportion built on land at high risk of flooding.

Dartford came second on the list of councils building in flood prone areas, with 38 per cent of the borough’s new developments, built between 2015 and 2016, on the 13 per cent of areas at risk of flooding.

The proportion of these new properties being built in risky areas has increased in the past two years, from seven pr cent in 2013-14, to eight per cent in 2014-15 and up to nine per cent last year.

Dan Montagnani, managing director at Groundsure, said: “Regardless of any flood mitigation measures required by planning and put in place, homebuyers need to consider additional risks and implications that come with buying a home built on a flood plain.

“Buyers may not fully appreciate flood risk and its impact on damage from flooding is almost 30 times higher than that following a burglary.

“While all development in flood plains is subject to stringent flood risk assessment in both design and construction, this data shows that variation in the proportion of development occurring on the flood plain differs hugely from one local authority to the next.

“Furthermore, Groudnsure’s sales data indicates that only 58 per cent of people purchasing a full flood report and as such, homebuyers, particularly those with properties similar to those identified in this research, may be unaware of the full risks associated with the property, future flood measures required anf the impact on insurance premiums.”